Gary mayor denies Joe Jackson was paid to attend son's memorial

Gary Mayor Rudy Clayon Friday angrily rejected claims that the city paid Michael Jackson's father to attend a memorial concert in Jackson's honor last month.

Records released by the city show that Joe Jackson and 1970s soul group The Chi-Lites were paid $5,000 from a fund of donations set up by Clay for the concert in the city where Michael Jackson was born and spent his early years.

But Clay and The Chi-Lites say the payment was only for Joe Jackson's and the band's plane tickets from California.

"Anyone who says Joe Jackson was paid to attend his son's memorial is telling the biggest lie ever told in the history of the world," Clay said.

Clay said he offered to pay the travel costs without being prompted by Jackson, and that the $5,000 payment did not cover the total cost of tickets for the Chi-Lites, Jackson and their security to travel to the show at Gary's minor-league baseball stadium, U.S. Steel Yard.

The city raised $7,000 in donations, $5,000 of which went to Jackson and the group for airfare. The city also raised another $5,000 in kind for Jackson and the group, which broke down to about $3,000 worth of limo rides, $1,800 in hotel rooms and $200 in meals, according to city documents. City officials said donations are still coming in.

Reached Friday at his home in south suburban Midlothian, Chi-Lites singer Marshall Thompson said his record label, Mar-Ance Records, made up the shortfall.

"Nobody received no money," he said. "They offered to pay our expenses. Joe didn't get nothing."

Joe Jackson -- who managed the Jackson 5 -- could not be reached for comment Friday.

He recently drew criticism for comments he made promoting his new record label at a news conference following Michael Jackson's death. Joe Jackson said he was only responding to a reporter's question.

The Chi-Lites are set to play in Tinley Park Aug. 22 to mark Joe Jackson and Thompson's birthdays.

The concert also will be used to raise money for a cultural center Joe Jackson said he plans to build in Gary.